Modern society wishes to reject silence. Every public space features loud pop music. Every pedestrian walks with headphones. Newer forms of high quality audio like podcasts and audio books present themselves as “more productive” listening, but they perform a similar function.
None of these forms are inherently evil, but they don’t allow the mind to wander, and they prevent you from experiencing moments of silence. Moments of silence, where there is nothing, not even the chatter of your own mind, are truly beautiful. They are peace embodied. They are tranquility, and they feel like clarity. They will never come if you block them. Like opening the wall of a dam, you must let the water, like that of your thoughts, come on through with whatever it carries. It may carry live animals, like those thoughts currently relevant to you that hold some emotional value. It might carry dead animals, like those thoughts of the past you haven’t heard in a while. It may carry smaller leaves and organic matter that represent little things nagging at you. But none of it is wrong, and you should silence none of it. Do not silence the silence. Let the silence come. At first the river will be raging, uncontrollable, angry, and you might feel your life is a mess. But in time, in the silence, the river will calm down. The goal is never to calm the river down completely, but to never stop it from flowing.